HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paramount Pictures, the city of Santa Monica, California, the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, and the council of Volusia County, Florida today announced that August 10th has been declared Lifeguard Appreciation Day. The declaration coincides with the United States Lifesaving Association’s 2017 National Lifeguard Championships, which take place in Daytona Beach August 9-12, 2017, and with the home entertainment debut of the action-packed comedy Baywatch.
More than 1,000 of the nation’s finest lifeguards will take part in the 2017 USLA National Lifeguard Championships in Daytona Beach. This three-day event celebrates the incredible fitness, endurance and dedication of the country’s lifeguards.
In 2016, USLA lifeguards performed 88,620 rescues, took more than 8.4 million preventive actions, and provided medical assistance to 343,086 people. The USLA has calculated that the chance a person will drown at a beach protected by USLA-affiliated lifeguards is one in 18 million.
“The USLA is honored that Paramount Pictures, Santa Monica and Daytona Beach have dedicated an entire day to the men and women who risk their lives to keep our nation’s beachgoers as safe as possible,” said Ed Zebrowski, USLA President. “We look forward to celebrating the day by hosting an incredible National Championships in Daytona Beach.”
Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff added: “The lifeguards are the real heroes. They have saved so many lives ...even my own. Today is their day and I truly salute you with honor and humility!”
The United States Lifesaving Association is America's nonprofit, professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers. The USLA works to reduce the incidence of death and injury in the aquatic environment through public education, national lifeguard standards, training programs, promotion of high levels of lifeguard readiness, and other means.
A hilarious take on lifeguards going beyond the call of duty, Baywatch stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron and features a special appearance by David Hasselhoff. An extended version of the film will be available on Digital HD August 15 and on Blu-ray™ August 29.
About Paramount Home Media Distribution
Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), home to premier media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, consumer products, and digital content for audiences in 180 countries and territories. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.
The theatrical version of Baywatch is rated R for language throughout, crude sexual content and graphic nudity. The extended version is unrated.